,
Tragedy struck in southern Afghanistan on Saturday as two U.S. service members lost their lives and two others sustained injuries after their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, according to a statement released by the U.S. military.
They were carrying out operations as part of NATO’s Resolute Support mission when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province.
The release noted that the names and other biographical information of the service members would be made public 24 hours after the notification of their next of kin.
Responsibility for the attack in the southern Kandahar province has been claimed by Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman. He stated that the bomb detonated near Kandahar airfield in the morning.
This incident occurred shortly after U.S. Ambassador John Bass concluded his two-year tenure in Kabul and departed, amidst escalating tensions in the region following the U.S. airstrike that resulted in the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Over 3,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to the Middle East in response.